Wednesday, 22 July 2015

WIP: RT Land Raider Achilles (Part Four)

A project really starts to come together once you set down the first layer of paint. The mish-mash of whites, greys and silvers join together into one product once they share the same colours. The Land Raider Achilles, my Rogue Trader-era pet project, now looks more like an official model than the collections of bits and scraps it did only a week ago.

For this tank, which is a vintage relic, I wanted to inject a little bit of the colouring from that age into my modern-day scheme. Flames and other designs seemed more prevalent back in those days, especially ones in one solid colour like yellow or black. I've added striking yellow flamework across the front of the tank, and on the Heavy Bolter turret. The shape is somewhat based on the flames forming the Thousand Sons' own icon.

Since this tank is an ancient machine often in the thick of it, it will be extremely weathered. So far I've only started the metals, which were all based with a bix of Scorched Brown and rust pigmentation for a rusty and textured appearance. A silver dry brush has gone over the top of this, and this will be highlighted further with Mithril Silver for recent damage.

The warped framework at the rear of the tank, which I chose not to replace for style reasons, will be painted as if it was heavily corroded. So far it is in the same style as the other metals, but will be blended into the paint at a later stage, possibly with some cracking effect thrown in.

A few of the smaller details have been picked out as well. The trophy bins are coming together with a bit of colour. All the bone elements have been base coated in Steel Legion Drab. The Emperor's Children helmet has been added to highlight some inter-legion conflict that this vehicle took part in.

The trim will be the most time consuming part of this model, but once that, and the freehand work, is done, I can make a start of weathering.